Thanks for the heads up!

 

ok i need to knwo EVERYTHING.. my 08 is getting paint work and i need how to get those off, b/c the painter might break something so i am pulling them off and putting them back on to avoid BS.. let me know..sounds complicated..

 

ok i need to knwo EVERYTHING.. my 08 is getting paint work and i need how to get those off, b/c the painter might break something so i am pulling them off and putting them back on to avoid BS.. let me know..sounds complicated..

 

seems like way too much work to enjoy this bike

 

Maybe if one was "working" on the bike more than riding it but who does that?

 

we'll get used to it i'm sure, only way to change the oil filter lol

 

For the oil filter... just need to drop the lowers.

BTW Spoolin, why did ya have the mids off? Frame sliders?

 

Yeah thanks for letting us know. Almost tried to take it off to get it out of my face doing an oil change. Glad I didnt!

 

Haha....I just did mine over the weekend for an oil change, and yes you must be very patient. I was okay getting the mid off and back on, but then getting the lower all lined up on both sides was a small challenge.

 

It's really not that bad.There are fewer screws than the old bike, and many more tabs. It kind of folds apart. I was'nt looking forward to doing it, but it was easier than I expected. Yes, you need some patience, but anyone can do it. Here is a step by step;

First remove these four bolts.

Then remove the three snap clips from the inner cover. Just push a phillips head screwdriver or something else pointy into the center of the clip and it will release.

Here's the cover once it's been removed.

Next, remove the two plastic phillips head clips inside the front fairing. On the right side shown here it's not necessary to remove the rear one, but on the left side you must because the wiring harness runs behind it.

Then give the ram air intake duct a tug toward the outside. It should pop free. I've previously removed the flapper valves, vacuum cylinders and plugs, so they're not shown. Simply unplug the vacuum hose and connector and it will be free.

Then pull the ram air duct free from the airbox where it passes through the frame. It may take a hard tug.

Then move to the bottom of the fairing. Pull the rear of the black aft fairing outward and unseat the tab from the mid fairing.

Then, right behind the front wheel you need to pop the tab loose shown with the arrow by pulling the mid fairing forward. Then it will all slide apart and you are ready to do the other side. It's almost exactly the same.

To put them back on, it all slips together rather easily. Just reverse the order of these steps. It seems pretty tough, but after having them off a few times, it only takes a couple of minutes to take them off.

If any one else has any tips, let's hear them.

 

Thread is old - but may never die

It's really not that bad.There are fewer screws than the old bike, and many more tabs. It kind of folds apart. I was'nt looking forward to doing it, but it was easier than I expected. Yes, you need some patience, but anyone can do it. Here is a step by step

It's stuff like this that makes the internet so freaking miraculous. I had such a horrible time last year doing an oil change for the first time on my '09 Repsol (no, I don't go 3 years between changes, I picked it up used, ha!) and I was cursing and swearing like nobody's business. Because I had a '01 929 before that, and that thing was a sweet picnic lunch to work on. This design is ridiculous. And sport rider (or motorcyclist, one of them) just did a spot-on article about how the few ounces they shave off these bikes here and there make for tom-foolery and frustration when it comes to the simplest maintenance tasks.

THANKS for the step-by-step. I have a PC V, IRC and a FIAMM horn set I have to do, so I'll be tacking this eventually. Nice to have your guide. Even though I found the service manual online, I like your pictures BETTER!

 

i think that pretty much sums it up. i had a problem getting the ram air tubes lined back up, then the gasket didn't want to go back on, so i ended up doing it about 5 times before getting it back together right

 

+1 I got so mad trying to get the ram air lined back up. It is a pain with it conected to the fairing.

 

Big time thanks BigSwede!!! I tried pulling of the mid when I changed the oil and one of the very flimsy clips on the top right snapped off so I stopped. Doesn't seem to affect anything but does annoy the piss out of me. Your pics will help a whole bunch.

 

This exact same thing happened to me; snapped that damn tab off while trying to figure out how to remove the top portion -- guess I should have researched it first. It's annoying how much of a jigsaw puzzle this thing is trying to take it apart.

 

I gave up so now I think I'm never going to take off the fairings except the lowers

 

I find it easy to remove the fairings, however i never undo the under/lower fairing fom the mid fairing i just undo both mid fairings and drop them to the floor. However i already removed the flappers and all the lines and solonoids.

Once you have taken of the inner covers and ram air cover on the upper cowl, just unclip the first 3 trim clips on the inner cowl thats inside the front of the left middle cowl coz theres a harness inside, you need to unclip it from the trim clip that runs throught the innercowl/ram air duct into the left middle cowl. Also undo the allen head bolts that connect the inner cover to upper cowl,

tug a bit on the ram air ducts to unseat them, then you can drop the whole lot to the floor in one peice.

still sucks , but it not to bad once u know it.........

 

thanks a mnillion for the visual aid..:thumbsup: my 08 is going to get custom painted starting tommorow and i have to remove the fairings at the shop..:th_salute:

 

Thanks bigswede!

how about front fairing?

more tips willl be welcome!

 

+1

 

Two words describe the intake/front & side fairing junction:

Hirishima's revenge. :cussing:

In over 30 years of wrenching it is without a doubt the most frustrating, over engineered design I have ever seen.

Rubick's cube was easier the first time.

 

Hiroshima's revenge. :cussing:

:th_SmlyROFL:

by the truth following BigSwede steps it's not really as much difficult. (Obviously not comparing with older models)

I did with middle and tail fairing, but still having problems with front.
Let's work on it!

Vsss

 

big will this be the same for an 06?

 

Negative....'06-'07 are totally different.....The 6-7 models are VERY easy to remove...take you bout 2.5 minutes

I love the ease of working on my bike...Honda thought of everything when dessigning this bodywork for quickness of removal for track, street etc...

I've heard over and over the '08 is a bit of a pain in the ass to do such simple tasks....Just more refined and condensed I guess...

 

great write up

 

I knew they would make it a pain... Just helped my boss with his 08 R6 and its just such a PITA. What happened to 4-6 screws and a couple of pins? Yes its been about 15 years since I owned a rocket. BMW is just as bad but all the screws are torx.

Thanks for the information, it will really help a lot of us out.

 

I have to replace the front cowl due to my 7 yr old tipping it off the track stand - luckily only broke off the upper parts of the cowl, the new windscreen, and a few scratches on the left upper bodywork.

Will I have to follow the steps outlined above to replace the front cowl?

 

Yup Have fun...I just did it too. Not too bad. It took me a little under 2 hours to get all the plastics off (tail too). Give a shout if you have questions!

 

Quick question, I just took my mid fairings off and when I went to put them back on I could not get the push in style screws that secure the intake cover to pop back out once I put them in. Anyone know how to fix this problem? Thanks
:shoot:

 

Well, it's time for a change of the oil too, and it will be easier to do the cowl and windscreen at the same time.

Just ordered the cowl from College Bikes, and gotta get the Zero Gravity screen ordered too. A $300 tip over, but it could have been worse I guess.

 

Having removed all the bodywork off the '08 blade, I'd recommend taking your time and doing it a couple of times. Also, I'd get rid of the flapper crap (find the thread) because once that stuff is removed and plugged, it makes removing the mid a ton easier.

 

great description--a bit easier than how i did it

 

Thanks BigSwede for the pic,s as well as text . as I have a new 2008 1000rr CandyGloryRed it will be handy to keep just in case the need arises. It,s the first for me but what a bike just carnt wait to get past the first 1000miles. it has taken me two days of road tests to get the suspenion setup for myself now it feels part of me.
regards
Navi

 

Thanks for the good write-up. Wasn't the easiest fairings I have taken off. This thread made it much better though

 

+1 on the instructions. While I had the plastic off to replace the front cowl, I put on a Puig double dark smoke, and some frame sliders. A little nervous drilling the plastics, but it turned out really nice. Changed the oil/filter too. All in all a big day.

 

Could one of the Mods make this thread a sticky?

 

It finally got stickied; now we just need it moved to the 08 mods section *hint hint*